The present invention pertains to vehicle electrical components and particularly a trim panel which includes an electrical connecting link.
In many modern vehicles, a significant number of electrical components are mounted in the vehicle headliner, either in a console mounted to the headliner or in other housings which are positioned to be readily accessible by the vehicle operator and/or passengers. Such components may include, for example, trip computers, vehicle engine operating parameter displays and warning lights, electrical compasses, garage door opening transmitters, cellular telephones, map reading lamps, and tile like. In tile past, electrical conductors, which extend from the instrument panel, supply data along a multiplex conductor and power along a variety of power conductors to and from these components. The bundle of conductors have been trained typically along or within the A- and C-pillars of a vehicle, although sometimes along the B-pillar as well. These pillars are tile structural members extending from the vehicle body to the roof for supporting tile roof and window frames and are covered to conform to the vehicle interior decor. The conductors are typically in a bundle and extend continuously from behind the instrument panel up one of the structural pillars of the vehicle and include a plug at an end remote from the instrument panel which is connected to a suitable socket for the headliner electronics as tile car is assembled and the headliner positioned in place.
When supplying electricity to the vehicle headliner, it is thus necessary during assembly of the vehicle to align and run a conductor from the instrument panel area to the A-pillar and into an area for connection to the headliner connector. This can be problematic inasmuch as tile conductor must also be connected to the instrument panel, typically by a plug, which can be somewhat inaccessible. Also, the elongated conductor bundle can be damaged during handling and installation of the instrument panel to which tile conductors may also be pre-wired. Thus, tile prior art use of continuous elongated conductors from the instrument panel to the headliner area through whatever pathway is somewhat unsatisfactory.